The Wellcome connection

The Wellcome Genome Campus is part of Wellcome, a global charitable foundation that exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive. Wellcome is a politically and financially independent organisation, supporting scientists and researchers, taking on big problems, fuelling imaginations, and sparking debate.

Wellcome has been the de facto owner of the Wellcome Genome Campus estate since the establishment of what was then called the Sanger Centre, in 1992. Wellcome continues to support the Wellcome Sanger Institute, funding around 80% of the Institute’s work and operations.

The Wellcome Sanger Institute was responsible for sequencing one third of the human genome, as a partner in the Human Genome Project, which ran from 1990 until 2003. With Wellcome’s backing, the results were kept public, which meant researchers could freely and permanently access the data.

Sir Henry Wellcome’s legacy

Sir Henry Wellcome was a medical entrepreneur, collector, and philanthropist. He believed that science and research expand knowledge by testing and investigating ideas. The governance of Wellcome is still based upon an updated version of his will.

Sir Henry’s legacy is a £20.9 billion investment portfolio, which enables Wellcome to plan for the long-term while having the independence to act flexibly and responsively. The income from this portfolio supports over 14,000 people in more than 70 countries. Wellcome aims to spend up to £5 billion between 2015 and 2020 helping thousands of curious, passionate people all over the world explore ideas in science, population health, medical innovation, the humanities and social sciences and public engagement.

Wellcome Sanger Institute

The Wellcome Sanger Institute is one of the premier centres of genomics research and innovation in the world.